Page 17 - Who

Centre restricts use of herbicide glyphosate over health hazards

Allows use only by authorised Pest Control Operators

WHO epidemiologist issues new advisory amid rise in Omicron variants

While the new Covid variants are causing fear worldwide, in India, they do not lead to more hospital admissions and deaths. Though it is considered mild, the new variants are still fast-spreading ones

Cough syrup deaths in Gambia serious issue, says WHO chief scientist

Chief scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO) Dr Soumya Swaminathan on Thursday said the death of children in Gambia, potentially linked to four Indian-made cough syrups, was a serious issue. Swaminathan was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the annual general meeting of the Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers Network (DCVMN) here. A WHO report has linked the death of 66 children in Gambia to four Indian-made cough syrups. "Certainly, the government is in touch with WHO as WHO actually provided the report based on the investigation which was done to prove that it was because of the diethylene glycol contamination. It is a very serious issue and it has to be taken very seriously," said Swaminathan. In India there are central as well as state-level drug regulators and there is a need to harmonize their operations, she said. "There are no mechanisms where regulators of different states can actually work together, do the inspections on each other's products," .

Some countries may see another wave of Covid due to XBB subvariant: WHO

Chief scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Soumya Swaminathan, on Thursday said some countries may see "another wave of infections" with the XBB subvariant of Omicron, a variant of COVID-19 virus. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the annual general meeting of the Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers Network (DCVMN) here, she clarified that as of now, there was no data from any country to suggest that these new variants are clinically more severe. "There are over 300 subvariants of Omicron. I think the one that is concerning right now is XBB, which is a recombinant virus. We had seen some recombinant viruses earlier. It is very immune-evasive, which means it can overcome the antibodies. So slightly that we may see another wave of infections in some countries because of XBB," she said. Swaminathan said they are also tracking derivatives of BA.5 and BA.1, which are also more transmissible and immune-evasive. As the virus evolves, it is going to evolve mor

Global rollout of 12 bn vaccine doses largest-ever but access an issue: WHO

World Health Organization (WHO) director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Thursday said global roll-out of more than 12 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses is the largest and fastest in human history. Addressing the annual general meeting of the Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers Network (DCVMN) virtually, he flagged the issue of inequities in access to COVID-19 vaccines. The three-day event is being co-hosted by the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), the world's largest vaccine manufacturer by volume, said a statement. Global roll-out of more than 12 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses is the largest and fastest in history with an estimated 60 per cent doses produced by manufacturers in developing countries. Despite this achievement, stark inequities in access to COVID-19 vaccines remain," he said. "These inequities are due partly to the fact that globally vaccine production is too concentrated. To address this, the WHO and our partners have established the mRNA Tech

New Covid variants spreading across the globe: what are the risk?

Amid the surge in the new and recombinant variants, scientists across the world are now watching out for variants which could turn into variants of concern soon

Developing nations' vaccine manufacturers bat for pandemic treaty

It's time to focus on routine immunisation: Mandaviya

Single-dose approach: Global cholera outbreak leads to vaccine crunch

One dose of vaccine has proven effective in stopping outbreaks, even though evidence on the exact duration of protection is 'limited'.

Physical inactivity may cost the world $300 bn between 2020 and 2030: WHO

Around 500 mn people will develop heart disease, obesity, diabetes or other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) due to physical inactivity, WHO's 'Global Status Report on Physical Activity 2022' says

After the Gambia, Nigeria, Liberia issue alerts over Maiden Pharma's syrups

Nigeria has reportedly circulated the alert across all professional bodies, health care providers and supply chain associates

Drug regulator halts production at Maiden Pharma's Sonipat unit

Centre forms panel to analyse causal relation between deaths and cough syrups

Haryana stops production at plant making cough syrups flagged by WHO

12 violations found at Maiden Pharmaceuticals' Sonipat facility, says state health minister

Who is responsible for the quality of Indian pharma exports?

WHO has issued a global alert over four cough syrups made by an Indian pharma company, for alleged death of 66 children in The Gambia. Who are responsible for quality checks of Indian pharma exports?

Top headlines: Growth forecast, Maiden Pharma cough syrup issue, and more

From World Bank slashing India's economic growth to Maiden Pharma's cough syrup issue, here are the top headlines on Friday morning

Who is responsible for the quality of Indian pharma exports?

WHO has issued a global alert over four cough syrups made by an Indian pharma company, for alleged death of 66 children in The Gambia. Who are responsible for quality checks of Indian pharma exports?

Maiden Pharma's cough syrups, under WHO scanner, not sold in India: Sources

Meanwhile, the Indian regulator is awaiting evidence of links between the cough syrups and the deaths in Gambia

WHO issues alert for 4 India-made cough syrups; check symptoms here

WHO has asked not to use these four products until analysed by the relevant national regulatory authorities

Cough syrups by Indian firm potentially tied to 66 deaths in Gambia: WHO

WHO issued a medical product alert for the four syrups and said it was conducting further investigation with New Delhi-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals and regulatory authorities in India

End of the pandemic in sight, but is it time to let down the guard?

While the world is moving away from the most basic Covid-19 protocols, some experts say it is too early to declare that the pandemic is over

WHO launches new initiative to stop invasive malaria vector in Africa

A new World Health Organization (WHO) initiative has been launched that aims to stop the further spread of this invasive mosquito species in the region.The WHO had identified the spread of Anopheles stephensi as a significant threat to malaria control and elimination in 2019 - particularly in Africa, where the disease hits hardest.Originally native to parts of South Asia and the Arabian Peninsula, An. stephensi has been expanding its range over the last decade, with detections reported in Djibouti (2012), Ethiopia and Sudan (2016), Somalia (2019) and Nigeria (2020).Unlike the other main mosquito vectors of malaria in Africa, it thrives in urban settings, the WHO said."With more than 40 per cent of the population in Africa living in urban environments, the WHO said the invasion and spread of An. stephensi could pose a significant threat to the control and elimination of malaria. But large-scale surveillance of the vector is still in its infancy, and more research and data are urgently .